


When Audrey Met Orin

by littleshopofaudrey



Category: Little Shop of Horrors - All Media Types
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-19
Updated: 2020-07-24
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:27:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 4,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24277366
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littleshopofaudrey/pseuds/littleshopofaudrey
Summary: The story of how Audrey met and began a relationship with Orin.
Relationships: Audrey Fulquard/Orin Scrivello
Kudos: 13





	1. When Audrey Met Orin

The Gutter was an eclectic place. Short women and tall women. Older women, younger women. Slim, thick, mothers, daughters, even wives. All kinds of ethnicities and body types. Externally, they were all different yet they all shared one thing in common: they didn’t want to be there.

One girl who especially didn’t want to be there was Audrey Fulquard. Her job at a Skid Row florist shop was simply not enough to sustain her so this was her last resort to simply survive.

She hated it. She hated wearing such tasteless outfits. She hates having to feign interest in men who were only looking at her with one thing in mind. Sadly, she had gotten used to that on the streets of Skid Row but getting paid for it? It just made her feel so dirty, so tainted. It certainly wasn’t the life she dreamed she’d have.

The majority of the other women did all they could to make an extra tip here or there. Audrey couldn’t bring herself to do it though. While others draped themselves over customers, Audrey cowered in the corner trying to cover her exposed body with her trembling hands. She had been there for almost two months but shifts never seemed to get any easier, they actually seemed to get worse.

Her method of coping was one she had grown accustomed to over the years of bleakness and misery that Skid Row had to offer. She’d live in her thoughts and transport herself to somewhere that’s green.

“Hello there, baby.” She was ripped from her happy place and reminded of where she actually was. Standing in front of a towering man who stunk of cigarettes and alcohol and was very obviously eyeing her up and down.

Audrey cleared her throat and tried to put on an available front even though she was screaming inside. “Hi! Would you like another drink?” She smiled, maintaining her distance from the stranger.

“I’d actually prefer something else…” He leaned in closer and, in her 5 inch heels, stumbled back a little. She was quite literally backed into a corner.

He rested his hand on her bare waist and confidently went in for a kiss which she expertly dodged, having had years of practice with men just like him.

“I-I’m sorry, I-I don’t do that kind of thing.”

“Why not? The others do. You can’t seriously be taking the moral high ground, look at you!” He continued to get closer and closer to her until...

“Hey, she’s not interested. Beat it.” Suddenly, a glimmer of hope arrived in the form of a man wearing a leather jacket and sporting vitalis covered hair.

“Yeah? Or what?” The arrogant drunk asked.

The strange man let out a humorless laugh and punched the drunk square in the face. After seeing him recoil in pain, his laugh became genuine. 

“Thank you for that.” Audrey said meekly and tried to slump away but he blocked her path.

“Why don’t you come join me while I finish my drink? It’ll stop the weirdos swarming to you.” He suggested.

“Um…” She paused, not wanting to give him the wrong impression. “I don’t know…”

He could sense her discomfort. “No, nothing funny, I promise. It’s just to make sure you’re safe.” He flashed his eerily perfect grin and she immediately let her guard down. She figured that someone who looked as put together as he was must surely be a good guy. After all, he did protect her so gallantly.

She gave him a sincere smile. “That’s very sweet, thank you.”

They moved over to the table he had been occupying and he offered to buy her a drink.

“Oh, thank you but I’m not supposed to drink while working.” She said, trying her best to politely decline.

“Some rules are made to be broken. Waitress!” He put his hand up and another scantily clad woman named Destiny hurried over. “A whiskey for me and she’ll have a...vodka lemonade.” He guessed.

“You got it!” She smiled then excitedly winked at Audrey, surprised to see her so close to a customer when she usually avoided them like the plague.

“I’m Audrey, by the way.”

“Cute name. I’m Orin Scrivello. Doctor Orin Scrivello.” He put as much emphasis on ‘Doctor’ as he could, clearly proud of his title and not afraid to show it.

“Wow, you’re a Doctor?” No professional had ever shown any interest in her, not unless she was a patient. 

“A Doctor?!” Destiny appeared seemingly out of nowhere and placed their drinks down. ”Enjoy!” She smiled and walked away but not before winking at Audrey and giving her a thumbs up.

Audrey took a sip and instinctively pulled a strained face given the fact that she rarely drank alcohol.

“Woah, you okay there?” He chuckled, he’d never seen a grown woman physically recoil at the taste of alcohol.

She blushed, a little embarrassed. “It’s perfect, thank you very much, I’m just not much of a drinker.” Despite this, she took another drink.

“Really? Can we get some shots over here?!” He yelled then chuckled, eliciting a huge laugh from Audrey. 

“Stop!” She laughed and put her hand on his, unintentionally letting it linger. It hadn’t been long but she was sure she could feel the booze going to her head already.

“This doesn’t really seem like your gig. What’s a girl like you even doing working at a place like this?” It was a genuine queen on his behalf. He could tell right away that she wasn’t as confident or open as her fellow co workers. And he knew that he could use this to his advantage.

Audrey couldn’t help but smile at the fact that at least one man didn’t see her as just a sex object, he seemed to see past that.

“I love my job. Oh, not this one, my other job. I really do love it but I just can’t afford to live on that job alone. To be honest, we’re not doing too great there…” She sadly slurred.

“What’s your other job?” Orin was asking her these questions without a second thought. He didn’t care if it seemed as though he was intruding, he wanted to weigh up the complex girl sitting next to him.

“I work in a florist store!” She beamed. “Say, what kind of Doctor are you? If you don’t mind me asking.”

He ran his hand through his hair with just a hint of cockiness. “Well, I’m a dentist.”

By now, she had finished her drink. She couldn’t make a habit out of it but she was secretly pleased that she was able to abandon her worries for just one night.

“A dentist? Woah.” Her eyes comically bulged out. “I don’t know how you do it. All those people scared and in pain? Especially the kids.” She shook her head at the thought.

He giggled. “Yeah, I know.” He replied almost happily reminiscing about the thought. If she hadn’t been feeling a little fuzzy, she would’ve picked up on his attitude.

“I heard you guys ordered shots?” Destiny appeared grinning and holding a tray of six small shot glasses.

“Oh my gosh! He was kidding!” Audrey broke out into a laughing fit.

“No, no, let’s have a little fun. Put it on my tab please, Miss Destiny.” He picked up a shot and handed another to Audrey. “Cheers.”

She looked at it a little unsure but decided to hell with it. “Cheers!”


	2. Heading Home

He picked up a shot and handed another to Audrey. “Cheers.”

She looked at it a little unsure but decided to hell with it. “Cheers!”

Two drinks and three shots each later, both Orin and Audrey were feeling somewhat tipsy; Audrey more so than Orin given her lack of tolerance to alcohol. However, neither were incoherently drunk.

He picked up his glass and drank the last few remaining drops from the bottom. “Would you like another?”

“Oh, I couldn’t! I’ve had more than enough already!” Audrey said with the smallest slur.

“Okay, you wait here. I’m gonna go pay the tab, this is my treat.” Orin smiled slyly and walked towards the bar. Audrey’s stomach got involuntary butterflies as a result of his chivalrous action.

He shortly returned to the table and offered his arm to help her stand which she gratefully accepted.

“My bike’s just outside. I can give you a ride home?” He queried somewhat suggestively.

Audrey looked deep into his eyes and broke out into a smile. “You’ve been drinking, I don’t know if that’s too safe.” She took a moment to think. “My apartment is just a couple of blocks away if you’d like to walk me back?” 

“It would be my honor.” He winked at her so quickly that she almost missed it. Or maybe it was just the effect of the alcohol, she wondered.

“Would you be able to give me a minute to get changed? I don’t wanna walk around the streets in this.” She laughed humorlessly while self consciously wrapping her arms around her bare body.

“Of course, be my guest.” 

She smiled and headed towards the dressing room while, unbeknownst to her, Orin eyed her up.

A few minutes later, she emerged wearing a skin tight black dress, fishnet stocking and heels just an inch or two shorter than the ones she had been working in. He didn’t know what he expected her to return wearing but this certainly wasn’t it. 

He looked up and down and comically bulged his eyes out, eliding a hearty blush from Audrey. “You look...wow!” Orin said charmingly.

All that Audrey could muster was a soft “Oh” while smiling at the floor.

“You ready?” Orin asked, offering his arm to her again.

She took it and they headed towards the exit together, en route to Audrey’s apartment.


	3. Ready?

“This is me.” Audrey said as they approached her apartment. 

She subconsciously glanced towards Seymour’s window to make sure his light was off. She didn’t know exactly why but a part of her didn’t want him to see her with another man.

Orin’s place was nothing like Audrey’s, he was actually a little taken aback by just how grimy the neighborhood was. They stood awkwardly for a few moments before Audrey broke the silence.

“Um...would you like to come in?” Audrey quietly asked while glancing down and fumbling with her nails.

Orin smirked, realizing he hadn’t wasted his night. “Yes, I would very much like that.” 

They walked into her apartment and Orin scanned every inch of the room. The first thing he noticed was like pink floral wallpaper. He hated it immediately.

“Say, you got a kid?” Orin asked upon noticing the array of stuffed animals on the bed. Audrey gave a confused look and he gestured to the family of inanimate objects.

“Oh.” She started laughing. “No, they’re...they’re mine. They make me feel a little less alone.” She gave that response as if it were no big deal. However, Orin could sense her obvious inner sadness. And he liked it.

Orin sat on the bed and picked up the largest of the stuffed animals, a cuddly cocker spaniel. “Yeah, that makes sense. Skid Row can be a scary place for a woman as beautiful as you. Especially when you don’t have a big, strong man to protect you.” 

Audrey sat down next to him and started stroking the toy that he held in his hands. “You get used to it, I guess.”

“A girl as beautiful as you should be living in a mansion overlooking Central Park, not a dump like this.” He glanced around the apartment, unable to hide the disgust on his face.

Suddenly, he leaned in towards her and placed a fairly chaste kiss on her lips.

She looked deep into his eyes and smiled which made him more uncomfortable than he could articulate. In response, he closed his eyes and kissed her more deeply and passionately than before. 

His hands traced over her neck before gripping the side of her face. He pulled away and threw Audrey’s stuffed animal at the wall. “He doesn’t need to see this…”

On second thought, she decided she was overreacting but a part of her was crushed when Orin did that. Of course, the toy couldn’t feel pain but Audrey could and that small act cut her more deeply than she’d care to admit.

Within seconds, his hands began to fiddle with the zipper on the back of her dress. He was pulling it down from her chest, pushing it up past her knees. Everything was happening so quickly.

“Hold on, hold on.” Audrey muttered against his lips, breaking away from their kiss. She stood up from the bed and shimmied out of her dress. Orin was looking at her as though he was a predator and she was his prey.

He pulled her back onto the bed by her waist and climbed on top of her. He threw his leather jacket on the floor and began to undo his pants, clearly wasting no time.

Everything was moving a little fast for Audrey. She didn’t think of herself as inexperienced but she certainly hadn’t experienced anyone quite like Orin before.

Before she could give it much more thought, he was pulling her panties down as he stepped out of his pants.

He immediately climbed back on top of her and continued his assault on her mouth. Audrey was just trying her best to keep up with him.

“You ready?” Orin asked. 

Against her better judgment, she nodded yes.


	4. The Aftermath

The sex was unlike anything Audrey had ever endured before. And not in a good way.

Orin was rougher than she ever thought was possible. If she was being truthful, she thought she had already experienced every type of man there was but Orin proved her wrong.

It was very hard and very fast. He pinned her arms above her head using one hand and used the other to pinch and squeeze other parts of her body. He snapped at her when she pretended to moan his name in pleasure, instead insisting she refer to him as ‘Doctor.’

The second he finished, he stood up and began to put his clothes back on. Audrey was left lying on her bed, feeling a little used and exposed. She pulled the cover over her in an attempt to maintain some of her dignity.

“W-Was that okay?” She asked. She couldn’t tell if he definitely enjoyed it, he seemed so angry throughout.

He didn’t even look at her. “It was fine.” He was actually a little surprised at how willing she was to go along with whatever she wanted. It intrigued him to see what her limits were, where it was she’d draw the line. 

Audrey pulled the sheet a little closer to her body, it was clear to her that Orin wasn’t the cuddling type.

“What are you doing tomorrow night?” He asked, still getting ready and avoiding eye contact with her.

“Tomorrow?” She couldn’t help but smile a little. Did he really wanna see her again? Maybe she wasn’t that bad after all.

“Yes, tomorrow.” He almost snapped.

“Well, I’m working.” With that, he finally looked back at her and raised his eyebrows suggestively. She understood what his facial expression was alluding to. “Oh, no. Not at that place. At the florist store.” 

She pointed out of her window towards the shop.

“Okay, I’ll pick you up when you're done. Take you for a ride.” He winked. “What time do you finish?”

“6pm.” She answered plainly. 

“Okay, see you then.” He very briskly walked out, leaving it at that.

“Sure, see you tomorrow.” She called out then felt foolish when she realized her couldn’t have heard her.

Audrey lay on the bed, contemplating what had just happened. It confused her even more when she tried to comprehend it so she decided it was best to just put it out of her mind and get some rest. Well, put it out of her mind until 6pm tomorrow.


	5. Mushnik’s Fury

Audrey’s sleeping routine definitely suffered when it came to juggling her two jobs. It was hard enough getting up to go to Mushnik’s after a regular shift at The Gutter but, of course, there had been a few extra distractions last night.

She allowed herself to sleep in and set her alarm clock for 7:30am, it just meant she didn’t have the time to be extra thorough with her makeup.

Much to her own amazement, she made it into work on time. Even Mr. Mushnik couldn’t believe his eyes.

“Oy gevolt! It’s only June, what is this Hanukkah miracle?!” He dramatically waved his arms for effect.

“Good morning, Mr. Mushnik.” She squeaked while heading to hang her sweater up.

“Yes, Audrey! Morning!” As she came back towards his desk, he finally got a good look at her. “So, what’s turned you into the early b-Audrey?” He stopped dead in his tracks. “Audrey, your neck?”

She put her hand to her neck and glanced at the floor. “Oh, uh, nothing.” 

“Were you attacked? Or mugged? I swear, I’ll kill the drunkard!” His face was growing increasingly red with each word he spat out.

“No, nothing like that.” She mumbled. 

“Nothing like that? Then what was it like?” He couldn’t take his eyes off of the bruised outline where four fingers had clearly been wrapped around her throat.

“Sir, you don’t wanna know…” She trailed off, desperately praying he’d change the subject.

“That’s where you’re damn wrong, I do too wanna know. Right this minute.” He demanded.

She knew how stubborn he could be, it was best to just give in. “If you must know, I was with a gentleman last night.”

“Gentleman? No gentleman would do that. That’s the work of a brute.” The pieces weren’t yet coming together. “So your date mugged you?”

“No, there was no mugging. It happened in the bedroom...” She whispered, unable to bring herself to say it with confidence.

Mr. Mushnik’s face dropped. “Oh, Audrey. You shouldn’t let someone treat you like that. You’re a nice, young lady.”

Audrey wondered whether or not he’d maintain his high opinion of her if he knew where she’d met him.

Thankfully, they were interrupted by a thunderous crash coming from the basement.

“WHAT’D YOU BREAK NOW, KRELBORN?!” Mushnik bellowed below them.

That reminder of Seymour was all she needed to put a smile on her face again.


	6. Clumsy

“WHAT’D YOU BREAK NOW, KRELBORN?!” Mushnik bellowed below them.

“I’m sure it was an accident.” Audrey said, trying to calm her boss down.

“Do me a favor, will ya, Audrey? Go see what he broke this time?” He asked, knowing he didn’t have the strength to deal with Seymour today.

“Sure.” She squeaked.

Teetering carefully down the basement stairs, she was greeted by the sight of her co-worker sweeping up what seemed to be shards of broken glass.

She hovered on the stairs. “Are you okay, Seymour? We heard a crash.” Her question startled him since he hadn’t heard the sound of her heels flopping against the floor.

Seymour jumped up and placed his hand on his chest. “Gee, Audrey, you frightened me.” He started to laugh as he tried to recover. He didn’t know if his heart was beating so fast as a result of the scare or seeing Audrey looking so beautiful in front of him. “I’m okay, I just dropped a couple of mugs.”

She nodded with understanding until she gasped. “Seymour, your hand! You’re bleeding!”

Drops of blood trickled down onto the floor as Audrey raced across the room to retrieve tissues.

“Oh, I must’ve cut it on a shard. I didn’t even feel it.” He said, staring blankly at his injury.

She tentatively took his hand with hers and wrapped the tissue around it, applying pressure to stop the bleeding. It wasn’t a huge cut but a part of her relished in the fact that she got to briefly hold his hand. Even if it was covered in blood.

After a few moments, she pulled her hands back and fumbled with her nails. “I think that should do the trick.”

Seymour looked up; smiled then frowned. “Speaking of injuries, what happened to your neck?” He enquired.

It was hard enough for her to admit what had happened to Mr. Mushnik; telling Seymour felt impossible.

“I tripped.” She blurted out, aware of how ridiculous she probably sounded.

Even Seymour wasn’t that naive but it was clear to him that she didn’t wanna talk about it so he chose not to push the subject.

“I guess we’re both a little clumsy, huh?” He smiled, succeeding in his attempt to get her to do the same thing. 

For a moment they were lost in the company one another before being rudely awoken by the sound of their boss yelling. “HURRY UP, YOU TWO! DO I EVEN HAVE EMPLOYEES?!”


	7. One Hour

It was 5pm. With just one hour left, the work day seemed to be going quite quickly despite the usual lack of customers. Every so often, Mr. Mushnik would glance at Audrey and shake his head, his disapprovement wasn’t what she was looking for.

She decided the mark on her neck, as well as the others that her dress thankfully hid, were not a big deal. Instead, they were just evidence of a passionate night.

“Doing anything exciting tonight, Audrey?” Seymour asked as Mushnik half listened while reading his newspaper.

For some reason unbeknownst to her, a part of her didn’t want to tell Seymour her plans. But she knew he’d eventually have to find out. “Actually I have a date tonight, he’s picking me up from here when I finish.”

Seymour felt a little part of his heart shatter. However, he decided it was for nothing since he’d never have a chance with someone like Audrey anyway. On the bright side, this date could be the Prince Charming she deserved.

Before Seymour even had a chance to react, Mr. Mushnik piped up. “A date?! Tell me it’s not with that Jack the Ripper loon?!”

“Sir…” She meekly started, hoping he’d stop.

As he raised his voice louder, he gestured towards her neck. “He does that to you and you reward him with a second date?!”

“Don’t people deserve a second chance?” Was the best she could retort and it seemed to work.

Her boss thought very hard for a second. “Fine. Give him one more chance. But if he does anything like that to you again, give him the old heave-ho.”

“Yes, Sir.” She simply stated in an attempt to simply placate him.

Seymour sat silently as he tried to process all that had just happened. A man had hurt Audrey? Who could do that? She was the most kind hearted, gentle person who ever lived.

Audrey cleared her throat and tried to compose herself. “How about you, Seymour? Any plans?”

Mushnik chortled from behind his paper. “No date for him tonight, that I can guarantee.”

The insult went right over Seymour’s head, by now he was used to the constant put downs. “Nothing too exciting. I was thinking about heading down to the Wholesale Flower District later.”

“That sounds fun! Hopefully you find something you can add to your collection, it’s coming along beautifully, Seymour.” Audrey replied genuinely. It always touched his heart that she’d never belittle him for his interests, no matter how nerdy they may seem.

He gave her a grateful smile and they spent the next 25 minutes just talking and laughing with one another as Mushnik rolled his eyes.

At 5:25pm, all three were startled and stood to attention when they heard the bell over the door chime, indicating they had their first customer of the day.

Turning to face the door, Audrey’s jaw dropped. “Orin?”


	8. Orin Visits Mushnik’s

“Orin?” Audrey asked, surprised to see him so early.

He lingered in front of the door with his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket. “You ready?”

“Oh, Orin...I don’t finish for another hour.” She replied, feeling extremely guilty. “I thought I told you 6pm?” She was almost positive she had but very quickly began to doubt herself.

A humorless laugh escaped his gritted teeth. “If you had told me 6pm then why would I be here now?” His voice was stern, on the edge of anger.

Mr. Mushnik watched intently while Seymour went between looking at his hands and looking up at the leather clad man.

“I’m so sorry, Orin. I can give you my key if you wanna wait in my apartment? It’s just across the street.” She stood and was about to head to the coat rack to retrieve it when he stopped her,

“No!” It came out like a bark. “I know where your apartment is, dumbass. I’ve been in it.” He shot a wink to Mushnik who stared blankly back, his face turning red with anger.

Audrey began “I’m really sorry, do you wanna-“

“What I want is a woman who can remember what goddamn time she finishes work or is that too much to ask of you?” Every word dripped with venom. “Stupid bitch.” He muttered under his breath but it was loud enough to be heard by the three others in the room.

“Orin, I’m really sorry.” She stood embarrassed and ashamed, shaking her head at herself. 

“Christ, what are you? A fucking parrot?!” He exploded. “‘Sorry, sorry, sorry.’” He began to mock her while adopting a high pitched, New York accent. Seymour gently shook his head in disgust.

Audrey’s eyes brimmed with tears despite her best efforts to stop them.

Before she could say anything, her boss stepped in. “Tell you what, Audrey. We’re not gonna have any customer rushes tonight, take off early. If you want to?” He searched her tear filled eyes, silently urging her to blow Orin off.

“A-Are you sure you don’t mind, Sir?” She asked, slightly relieved at the offer.

“If you want to then I don’t mind.” He stressed again, hoping she’d choose to stay. Mushnik pondered how he’d talk to her behind closed doors if he had the audacity to yell at her like that in front of others.

“Thank you so much.” She ran as fast as her heels could take to grab her coat and swiftly returned. “I’m ready.”

Orin stormed out of the store without even saying goodbye to Seymour and Mushnik.

Audrey reached the door and turned around to face them. “I’m sorry about that. I’ll see you tomorrow, Sir. Good night. Good night, Seymour.”

“AUDREY!” She heard Orin bellow from outside and she quickly ran out, leaving the bell ringing behind her.


End file.
